Serpent Model Racing Cars

Lore & Background

The company was officially founded in 1980 as a brand name to Berton BV, named after a combination of its founders, Pieter Bervoets and Ron Ton, who were both radio controlled car racers. The pair built their first RC car in 1972, using a Kyosho Dash 1 chassis they modified. In 1977, the duo started to develop their first car under the Serpent name, and in 1979 both Bervoets and Ton had won separate EFRA 1:8 titles with their Mk. III Pro.

One of the highlights of its competition career occurred during the IFMAR World Championship for 1:10 Scale 235mm IC On-Road cars in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, when the Impacts dominated the top 10 positions in both Class 1 (sportscars) and Class 2 (touring cars). The cars are nowadays developed using 3D CAD software such as Pro/Engineer and SolidWorks and are tested at the nearby race track in Heemstede. Serpent also has its own one-make series Serpent Nitro Tours and Serpent Series, which includes a drivers' development program (Serpent Driver Development).

Ton sold his shares to Bervoets in 1997. Bervoets sold the company to Ronald Baar and Michael Salven in 2005. In 2008, the Dutch company went into bankruptcy; the brand and stock were sold to VectorRC in Holland. Serpent Ltd in Hong Kong now handles production and distribution in Asia, Serpent Europe for Europe, and Serpent America for the Americas. Michael Salven and Ronald de Baar own the Serpent brand and run VectorRC BV for development and marketing worldwide. In 2011, VectorRC teamed up with two new partners in China and created Serpent Ltd Hong Kong, enabling expansion to over 30 different models while maintaining quality standards.

Reader's Guide

Serpent's significance lies in its long history of competition success, having won seven world (IFMAR) and thirty-three European (EFRA) titles, along with five Japanese (JMRCA) and eight U.S. (ROAR) national titles and three Winternats. The brand's legacy includes pioneering early RC car development, with founders Bervoets and Ton winning EFRA 1:8 titles in 1979 with their Mk. III Pro. A notable achievement was the dominance of the Impacts at the IFMAR World Championship in Apeldoorn, where they swept the top 10 positions in two classes. The company's ownership changed multiple times, from its founding in 1980 through a 1997 share sale, a 2005 takeover, a 2008 bankruptcy, and eventual relocation to China in 2011. Despite these changes, the hissing snake symbol has never changed, while the color scheme shifted from magenta to Dutch orange and the logo was altered before the takeover. The move to China allowed Serpent to expand its car line-up to over 30 models while maintaining high quality and performance standards. The brand also fostered community through its own one-make series and driver development program.

Did You Know?

• The company name Serpent is a combination of the founders' surnames: Pieter Bervoets and Ron Ton.
• Both founders won separate EFRA 1:8 titles in 1979 with the Mk. III Pro.
• The hissing snake symbol has never been changed since the company's beginning.